Day 2: Contrasts and Rewards

Hello all,

I write this in an exhausted state. Today was long and it is only 8:30pm. We started off the day at the Foundation of Hope that David Dinda started and it is in the old Kibera Location of St. Al's. I remember bemoaning that we would miss the location and the walk to the school. I realized today it was all about the students and now that the students have moved, the walk down to the school from the street is harsh, filled with squalor and the realization of the harsh realities that the condition of Kibera really is. The excitement of teaching this wonderful students the prior years choked out the harshness for Margaret and I because the happiness and joy we received from teaching these deserving and engaged Kenyans. Both Margaret and I, after the visit to the old school site both looked at each other and realized that we do not miss that location at all. It is definitely a sharp contrast to the new school that is amazing. The piece that brought us such excitement lives in a new location and so does our passion. In no way does this mean the location is not great in its new incarnation as the home of the Foundation of Hope and it really does serve a great purpose in the central place it serves. Just as a location for us as prior occupants, it is different. This really talks to the contrasts between the old and new school. It almost makes it impossible to look back at the old school as an option once you have been in the new school. What inspiration for the students to continue to excel even more than they already are.

We visited Caroline, David's sister that has a strong connection to Margaret. Margaret purchased her a sewing machine to help aid in her education as a seamstress and we went to visit her at the shop/school that she learns/works and Margaret was given the gift of a beautiful dress that she made her. It was just amazing and Margaret was so touched.

Then to lunch and to school for us and it was a filled day. The new school is amazing and we have 2 great rooms that we teach in. These children are so engrossed and now that we are in a class room that is appropriately sized, we can actually be close to them. We used to sometimes have to see them from across the room because the compactness of the rooms and the desks lined up never gave us the ability to be right next to them or gather around to discuss something. Today our first classes were forms 3 and 4. Since they started the same year they have the same curriculum and we wanted to talk about the Gallery Show that is happening this Friday, the new mediums that we are using and the theme for this years art. We discussed this together since we wanted to kick off this with the same perspective. It was great. We talked about peace and what peace means, read quotes of peace and engaged them in a conversation of peace from some of the different meanings that we shared with them. It was remarkable. They were thinking about this and you can see the wheels turning and the questions they asked. For example Collins asked if art around war could be a representative of how one some times fights to gain or maintain peace. I had a wow moments then. We also talked about peace between humans and governments. It was intriguing. They went away with things to think about before they start to create art with the theme of peace. Then Margaret and I each on our second classes taught separately, me forms 2 and Margaret a new set of forms 1. Mine were really engaged and Margaret's were really inquisitive and ready. Some of them also had know about some of the western artists and where able to talk about them from materials that had been left at the school or they had heard from other students.

It is so wonderful that we can share something with these great students and find such peace in the sharing of our knowledge of art and the learning they are experiencing and the education they are giving us.

We are off to go work on the galley show, the lesson plans and all the other things we need to do before we teach tomorrow afternoon.

Be well and thanks for following us on this journey.

The pictures are of David D and I, Margaret and Caroline with the new dress, with Margaret in action in the new school and comparisons pics between the old and new school.

Charles and Margaret